It was already dark and they were all sitting around the camp fire. After Beth had greeted everybody and they had all calmed down, Daryl stoked up the fire and told Beth she should sit down with Rose to relieve her ankle and warm the two of them up.

He quickly got his two girls blankets and carefully covered the two of them with the warm fabric. Before he went to get them something to eat, he kissed them lovingly on their foreheads and they both were looking up at him with their big, blue eyes and their beautiful smiles.

Bob and Tyrese had caught some rabbits, so everyone had enough to eat that evening. Returning with three plates, he gave Beth and Rose each one and kept the last as he sat down next to his girls. First Beth was looking at her plate like she didn't want to eat anything, when Daryl said to her "You have to eat something Beth." She nodded understanding, of course she knew.

The other seemed to notice, that Beth and Daryl didn't want to talk about what had happened or want talk about anything at all. Everyone did the things they were always doing, while Daryl, Beth and Rose were just watching them. Daryl had his back against a tree, so Beth could sit between his legs, her back resting against his chest and his hands were placed on each sides of her waist. Beth had Rose on her lap, close to her.

His girls still had the surrounding blankets, so Daryl was sure that they won't freeze. Beth had her hands around their baby and kissed her head thankfully every few minutes. Daryl rested his arms under Beth's blanket around her belly, so he could hold her even closer. He loved the feel of her belly rising and falling with her breathing, he knew then that this was all real, that it wasn't just the best dream he ever had.

Beth had placed her head at the spot between Daryl's shoulder and neck. She never kissed him on the mouth in front of the other, just on his cheek or neck. Daryl was thankfully about that, because he still felt very uncomfortable with the other watching them all the time. And of course Beth knew that, so she didn't kiss him on the mouth, until they will both get comfortable with it.

Sometimes Beth was just looking up at him with her endless eyes and said with a smile "I love you." Then Daryl always leaned down to her and gave her a shy kiss on the forehead and whispered back "I love you too sweetheart."

One time Beth put her right hand under the blanket on top of Daryl's hands. She stroked his hands or just held it and Daryl best wanted to cry again, because of this familiar feeling in his belly. He decided that he could sit like this for the rest of his life, till Beth was looking up at him and whispered "Rose fell asleep a few minutes ago."

Daryl stretched himself a little, so he could see his little baby sleeping peacefully in her mother's arms and it made him smile lovingly. "Alright. Then I think it's time to go to bed." Agreeing with him, Beth began to move. Daryl stood up and took little Rose from Beth's arms into his and finally helped her to stand up. He said, that he will lay Rose in their tent first and then he will come back and take her. But Beth just smiled, shook her head and said that it was just a few feet and she could manage to go to the tent on her own. Daryl and Beth whispered good night to the other and together they went to the other side of the camp to their tent.

Daryl quietly opened the zipper of the tent so he won't wake his sleeping baby. The tent wasn't that big, but it was enough for the three of them. The three of them. They were finally together.

Daryl laid Rose carefully in the middle of the mattress and covered her tiny body with the blanket. He gave his baby a quick kiss on the forehead, before turning around to Beth. "Should I help you sweetheart?"
Beth climbed carefully in their tent. "No thanks. I'm okay."

Daryl closed the zipper carefully, when she was finally inside. Beth laid down next to Rose, the little girls face next to her belly. Daryl covered Beth lovingly with the blanket too. She gave him a thankful smile, when he carefully laid down next to Rose's back. The blanket was big enough, so it covered him too.

With their baby between them, Daryl and Beth were looking into each other eyes, till they both began to cry silently. Daryl stroked Beth's soft cheek, as good as he could with his shaking fingers. "I still can't believe this is all true. I have found you. We have a baby together. We are lying here together. I'm afraid, that this is all just a dream and when I will wake up, you will be gone again. That Rose will be gone." Daryl whispered to her.

"I know how you feel. I feel the same, but Daryl this is all real. I'm here. Rose is here. We will never ever leave you again." Beth pulled away some hair, which had fallen into his face, and were already wet from his tears.

Daryl leaned closer to her, so his head was resting on her chest and Beth stroked gently his head the whole time and covered it with kisses. "You were so right Beth. I have missed you so bad, when you were gone. The whole time, every second." Her warm hand found Daryl's cheek and she stroked it carefully. "I missed you too, Daryl. Always. There wasn't one second I wasn't thinking about you."

After theyhad calmed down a little, he lifted his head to look her deep in the eyes. "What happened to you sweetheart?" Beth breathed in and took his hand, before she began.

"I did like you have told me. I broke one of the windows and got out of the funeral home. I ran to the road, some walkers were already there. I killed them and by the last one, someone hit me from behind and I fell on the ground. Everything went black. The only thing I can remember is, that I heard your voice screaming my name. Thinking all the time that I was just imagine it."

Beth continued "I woke up at a hospital in Atlanta. I searched the room for you, but I was alone. You weren't there. I called your name. Finally a doctor and a policewoman came in. They said, that they have saved my life and I was in a coma for over two weeks. They also said, that I belong to the hospital now and I had to do whatever they were telling me to do. I asked about you. I was so hopefully, that you were just in the next room, but the woman just shook her head and said that I was alone.

I started screaming and crying and just wanted to get out of the room, but they didn't let me. Finally they gave me some infusions, which had calmed me down. My body was paralysed, but my mind was still working and the tears were running down my face, when I thought about what had probably had happened to you. The next thing I can remember is, waking up again and the policewoman explaining the rules to me. The fact, that they have saved my life costed me 50 working days in the hospital. Every time I needed something, food, medicine, water, new clothes, it cost me another day. She said that I could leave, when I have finished all my working days. I didn't use anything or eat much, but I knew, that I will never get free with that system. But I wanted to so bad.

I wanted to go back to the funeral home to find you. I needed to know, what had happened to you. I missed you so bad. I waited, until I felt better and tried to get free. But they caught me a few feet away from the fence. I almost made it. The policewoman slapped me for doing this. It was all so pointless. The people in there didn't have any hope left. They just lived. I cleaned the rooms and did the laundry. All the time, thinking about how I could get out of here.

There was a policeman, a disgusting policeman. He tried to be nice to me all the time. I already knew what type of man he was. One time he came into the room I was just cleaning. He thought that I was weak and that he could do whatever he wanted with me. So he came closer to me and pushed me against a table. I knew what he wanted. But before he could, I beat him with a jar and he felt to the ground. I knew, that he wasn't dead, but if he will wake up, he would try it again. Not only with me, but with every woman in there.

So I took one of the shards and killed him. The whole time the doctor of the hospital was watching me. He said, that I did the right thing and he had told Dawn, the policewoman, what had happened and she had even believed him. Everyone knew what the policeman was doing inside the hospital with all the women and finally Dawn accepted what I have done. Even more, I got her respect. I didn't have to clean all the time after that day, instead I helped the doctor, Edwards.

But I still wanted to get out of the hospital. I tried it a few more times, but I always failed. Then came the time, when I got sick every morning. Sometimes I vomited and I couldn't work till midday. Finally doctor Edwards examined me and he didn't find anything. Suddenly he asked me, if the man I was with, was my boyfriend. The second I realized what he meant I started crying. He tried to calm me down and said that we could only be sure with a pregnancy test. He said, that he will try to get one the next day.

I couldn't sleep the whole night. I was just thinking about you. What you would say, if I was really pregnant. I needed you so much. But I knew, if I was really pregnant, I couldn't leave the hospital. And that made me cry even more. The next day Edward gave me the test and it was positive. I was really pregnant.

The first few weeks Edward and I told it to no one. The doctor just saved more food and vitamins for me. Finally we had to tell the other and Dawn just had this damn smile in her face, because she knew, that I couldn't leave anymore now. Edwards examined me every week and one time he said, that he could see the sex of the baby. I nodded and closed my eyes, when he told it to me. A girl. Daryl and I will have a baby girl. When I just imagined you holding a little girl in your arms, our little girl, I started crying again.

The pregnancy went well and on a spring day I went into labor. Four hours later I held her in my arms, our girl. I cried the whole time, because you weren't there next to me and because she had the same birthmarks like you. She was so beautiful and so tiny. I hadn't thought about a name before, but as she was laying there in my arms and she finally opened her eyes for the first time I knew that I will call her Rose. Rose Dixon.

I stayed at the hospital with her until the next winter was over. Then I knew I would make it with her outside, but I also knew, that I had to kill Dawn to get free. Finally I got out of the hospital. Blood all over my clothes and Rose in my arms.

I got a car and we drove. Finally I found the funeral home again, but of course you weren't there any more. I don't know what I was expecting, but I hoped to find answers about where you were, but I didn't find any. I tried to find you. I took every way, but I never saw any tracks from you. The last two years Rose and I were on the road, always looking for you.

She is such a strong little girl, like her father. I always told her about you. How you look like and how you are. I told her, that you never ever wanted to leave us and nothing that happened was your fault. I whispered to her 'daddy loves you' every evening, before she fell asleep and then she said her first word, 'daddy'. The older she got the more she reminded me about you. Not only because of her look, because of the birthmarks or her toes, which are looking like yours, also because she is often acting like you. When she is nervous she can't look you in the eyes and tries to do something with her fingers. She also bites her thumb and she walks like you.

We were at the little hut for three days, and we only had two cans of beans left. I said to Rose, that I will go and look for food and that I would be back in a few hours. While I was walking through the forest, a man suddenly jumped out in front of me and shouted 'claimed'. Within seconds there were five men around me and they overwhelmed me. I didn't have a chance. They took me to their camp and I quickly got why the man had said that to me. They claimed everything and the first one, who had claimed, was the owner of it now.s I noticed, that the man, who had claimed me, was the leader. All the other en were looking at me like the policeman at the hospital, but the leader wasn't looking at me like that. He just wanted to help me. I didn't know why, but he didn't hurt me.

I didn't tell them about Rose, because I knew that they would hurt her. I hoped, that she was safe and I could get free soon. It was the third day I was with them, when one of the men ran to the leader and told him that two men were looking for me and that they had already killed two of their men. Of course, I thought, I hoped, that you were one of them, who were looking for me. But my brain told me that it just couldn't be true.

The leader said to one of the man, that he should take me away and he knew what he should do with me. The man took me into the forest and tried to rape me, but I fought back and finally he stopped and tied me against the tree. There was no chance to get free. Then I heard a voice. Your voice. The first time I thought that it was just in my head, but then I heard it again. It was really you. You saved my life Daryl. You saved Rose's life. Like you have always done. Thank you my love." The tears were running down Beth's cheeks when she was finish.

"I missed you so much Daryl. All the time. I needed you so bad. And the worst part was, that I didn't know if you were still alive. I wished it so much. I never told you that I love you, but I do Daryl. I love you so much. And I'm so sorry." Her last words were almost a whimper anymore, because Beth was crying so much, that she didn't get enough air inside her lungs any more.

The whole time Daryl held her hand and listened to her, while his own tears were running silently down his face. He moved closer to her and took her in his arms. "You don't have to be sorry for anything sweetheart." He stroked her back with one hand and her head with the other. She let out all the tears, she had held back for so long. All the pain, all the fear, all the uncertainty. He kissed her forehead and whispered, that he promised her, that everything will be good again.

When Beth finally calmed down again, she was looking up at him, still in his arms and asked "What happened to you my love?"

Daryl had never told anybody about it, but he needed to tell her. "If I had gotten out one minute earlier I could have saved you. I ran to the road and saw two men getting your limp body in the car. I screamed your name, but they just drove away. I followed the car the whole night long. Till the damn crossing. I didn't know where to start looking for you. So I was just sitting there the whole day crying.

Rick found me there. He got out with Carl, Michonne, Judith, Bob, Sasha, Tyresse and Carol. A few weeks later we also found Maggie and Glenn with the new ones. They never asked me what had happened to you. I couldn't have answered them anyway. Every day I tried to find you, to look for you. I made myself a promise, that I will never stop looking for you, until I have found you. If I will find you as a walker or I was sure you were dead, I would have been with you in seconds. There just wouldn't have been anything left for me.

Every night I had nightmares, about what had happened to you. What they were probably going to you. I always woke up screaming your name and crying. The first months I hallucinated often. I had seen you standing next to a tree and when I got there you were already gone again.

One day we heard Rose screaming. She had tried to find you. She was so shy and didn't say a word. Maggie tried a few times to calm her down, but she always turned away. Until she saw me. She trusted me with the first second. We brought her back to our camp and she never looked away from me. She always wanted to be close to me. Rick said, that I probably reminded her of someone. She still didn't say anything or even told us her name."

She was just sitting at the campfire, when she began to sing. She sang the same song you have sung for me at the funeral home. I went over to her and finally asked her about her name. Rose Dixon. I never thought that I would be a father, but I love her since the first second. She is such a cute little girl and well-behaved, of course, she is your daughter. She said, that you have told her all about me, because of that she knew who I am.

All the time I thought, that you were mad at me, that you hated me, because I wasn't there for you when you needed me. But still I made myself a promise, that I will tell you, that I love you, if I will ever get the chance to. I'm so sorry Beth. It's all my fault. I wasn't there."

"Don't say that Daryl. It wasn't your fault. Nothing what ever happened was your fault. You are the reason why I'm still here. Why I'm still alive. You are everything to me. I love you so much Mr. Dixon." Beth was looking at him with her big, blue eyes.

"I love you too girl. I will never ever leave you again." Daryl stroked her cheek with his left hand and finally he touched her mouth with his thumb. He was looking away from her eyes, down to her beautiful lips.
With his thumb he traced her soft mouth and finally leaned closer and kissed her gently. During the soft kisses he placed on her mouth, Daryl whispered "I love you." He couldn't say those three words to her often enough.

Beth's hand was on his belly and she finally moved it to his back, when her hand glided under his shirt and she stopped kissing him and was looking instead up in his eyes. "You are skinny Daryl." "I haven't eaten much the last couple of years." He answered seriously. "I promise you, that you will never have to worry about anything ever again my love. We won't leave you. We are a family now."

Daryl hugged Beth again and held her close to his chest. After some minutes she whispered "I think I will fall asleep soon."

"It's ok sweetheart. Let go, I won't leave your side." Daryl could feel her smiling against his chest, before her breathing became regular and Beth fell asleep in his arms. He followed her in seconds into the world of dreams.